Self-evidently Whole
Open Dialogue Meetings
Not beliefs. Not answers. Not a new philosophy.
A different kind of non-duality meeting, open to all backgrounds and requiring no alternative explanation to be adopted.
“The sense of separateness then seems to give way, while the wholeness of what naturally seems to be appearing is already self-evident.”
Sander Tideman
Founding Director, Triple Value Leadership
Co-founder and MD, Garrison Institute International
A Different Kind Of Non-Duality Meeting
Seeking, the sense of separation, and the contracted felt sense of lack or fear that may accompany them can all be openly included here. Nothing needs to disappear before the wholeness of what naturally seems to appear is already self-evident.
These meetings are not a form of self-inquiry in which someone is guided to look within or arrive at a particular recognition. Nor are they simply a form of radical declarative non-duality in which statements are made and dialogue has little or no place.
Instead, a simple declaration is offered and allowed to sit for a while. There is a little silence, and then whatever naturally emerges may be spoken about. There may be agreement, disagreement, curiosity, confusion, humour, resistance, recognition or simply silence. Nothing in particular is being sought.
No previous experience of non-duality is necessary, and no particular tradition or language needs to be abandoned. Whether someone comes from Advaita, Buddhism, radical non-duality, self-inquiry, psychotherapy, philosophy, science, another spiritual tradition, or no spiritual background at all, nothing here requires the adoption of a new framework.
Some Declarations We May Sit With
The declarations are simple. They are not presented as beliefs to be accepted, answers to be learned, or conclusions that anyone needs to reach.
We may sit with statements such as:
What naturally seems to appear is self-evidently appearing.
What naturally seems to appear is not self-evidently nothing.
The separation of what naturally seems to appear is not self-evident.
What naturally seems to appear is not self-evidently a personal mental perception.
What naturally seems to appear is not self-evidently caused.
What naturally seems to appear is not self-evidently occurring in time and space.
The wholeness of what naturally seems to appear may self-evidently be enough.
What naturally seems to appear does not self-evidently appear to anyone.
A declaration may be questioned, challenged, explored, quietly resonated with or simply left alone. The intention is not to persuade anyone that it is true, but to allow what is self-evident to speak for itself.
It may be found that there is some inexplicable resonance with one or more of these declarations. Nothing particular needs to be made of that resonance; it may simply appear as part of what is already appearing.
What Happens In A Meeting
At the beginning of the meeting, one or more self-evident declarations are read aloud. We then sit quietly for a short while before opening the space for dialogue.
From there, the meeting is not scripted. Questions may arise, someone may wish to explore a difficulty with the declaration, another person may find that something becomes unexpectedly obvious, or there may simply be a conversation about what appears to follow from it in ordinary life.
I convene the meeting and help hold the conversation clearly, but there is no teaching sequence, prescribed inquiry or destination. The meeting does not depend upon anyone having a particular experience.
The message is centre stage, not Freyja.
Online Group Meetings
The group meetings offer a shared space in which a declaration can be heard and explored in the company of others. The presence of different backgrounds, interpretations and responses is part of the meeting rather than something that needs to be resolved.
90 minutes · Online · €10 per person
If the fee would make it difficult for you to attend, a free place may be available. Please feel free to ask.
Meetings take place using Whereby. A private link will be provided in advance, and no download is necessary.
Book a group meeting below
One-To-One Online Meetings
The same format is also available privately. A one-to-one meeting offers more time and space for a declaration to be explored in relation to whatever naturally arises in the conversation.
It is not coaching, therapy or personalised self-inquiry, and there is no promise of a particular outcome. The same basic structure remains: a declaration, some silence, and an open dialogue around what appears.
90 minutes · Online · €70
Meetings take place using Whereby. A private link will be provided in advance, and no download is necessary.
Book a one-to-one meeting below
Mental Health And Wellbeing
These meetings are not psychotherapy, counselling, mental health treatment or crisis support, and they are not a substitute for professional medical, psychological or psychiatric care. Although emotional, psychological or personal material may naturally arise in conversation, the meetings are centred on the message being explored rather than on assessment, diagnosis or treatment.
By booking and attending a meeting, you confirm that you are not currently experiencing an acute psychological crisis, are not at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, and are not attending in place of professional mental health or medical support that you presently require.
If you are experiencing significant psychological distress, feel unable to keep yourself safe, or believe that you need clinical support, please seek help from an appropriately qualified professional or emergency service in your own country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any previous experience of non-duality?
Not at all. There is no requirement, qualification or expectation, and nothing needs to happen before you can take part.
Are you a teacher?
I convene the meetings and introduce the declarations, but I do not see myself as a teacher in the usual spiritual sense. I am not asking anyone to follow a method, adopt a belief, accept my interpretation or regard me as having any special authority.
I may clarify, question, respond or offer another way of expressing what is being explored, but the emphasis remains on what is self-evident rather than on the person speaking about it.
Will this help me awaken or get rid of seeking?
The meetings are not offered as a means of bringing about awakening, greater awareness, the end of seeking or any other particular outcome. Seeking, hoping for change and the desire to understand may naturally arise, and these too can be included in the conversation.
What if confusion, frustration or nothing much happens?
Confusion, frustration and disappointment are no more excluded from what naturally seems to appear than clarity, interest or enjoyment. Their appearance does not mean that anything has gone wrong. Nothing needs to happen for the meeting to have taken place exactly as it has.
Does this mean psychological or physical suffering does not matter?
No. Human beings naturally seem to appear, and their physical and psychological wellbeing matters. Care, support and practical responses to suffering may all be entirely appropriate. None of these needs to be understood as a means of producing existential wholeness.
So what is the point?
Simply to sit together with what is self-evident and see what naturally emerges. The meetings are not offered as a way of getting somewhere else, becoming something else, or arriving at a final answer, but as an open exploration of the self-evident wholeness of what naturally seems to appear.
The invitation is simply to come as you are.
Book Onto The Next Group Meeting Below
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